rescue911fandomcom-20200213-history
Deaf Save
Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee Date: October 25, 1989 Story For the Armor family of Chattanooga, Tennessee, almost everything in life is harder. Annette and her husband, Larry, are deaf. They can't call for help when they're in trouble or hear any sound of approaching danger. On the night of October 25, 1989, Larry was visiting a friend leaving Annette alone with five-year-old Larry Jr., their four-year-old daughter, and two-year-old son. She bathed them, put them to bed, and then went to sleep herself in her daughter's bed. Larry Jr. and his little brother slept in their bed, which was next to their sister's in their bedroom. An intruder came up to the window and cut the screen with his knife. He opened the window and came inside. He walked into the bedroom where Annette and her children were sleeping. "The call came in as a burglary in progress. I think they gave us some information about a man in the house which of course causes your heart to race just a little bit," recalls Officer Stone. Officer Ganoway said the intruder's intent wasn't to steal the television. With the rope, the knife, and his actions he briefly believed the intruder was there to rape Annette. He reached out his hand and touched her on the leg. She opened her eyes, saw him, and gasped. She walked out of her bedroom and went into the hall. She saw the intruder and whimpered. "He went to the kitchen almost like a blind man or something almost like he was drunk. It really scared me to death. I don't understand why he didn't follow me," signed Annette. It was at night and maybe he couldn't see her. Annette hid in the bedroom, woke Larry Jr., and signed, "There is a man here in the house. Please help me." He was able to understand her and could speak and hear. With no phone, Annette was forced to leave the house to try to get help, taking Larry Jr. as her interpreter. They saw the intruder in the kitchen by the refrigerator and she told him to be quiet so they could escape. She didn't wake up the other two children because if she did, they would've cried and the intruder would've come after them. She hoped that he wouldn't do anything to them. Annette and Larry Jr. got out of the house leaving her other two children trapped inside. Deaf and with no telephone in the house, she desperately needed help. She wanted the police to come and get the intruder so her children would be safe. She didn't want to lose any of them. The only neighbor she knew was Odessa Rae who lived across the street. "It must've been around 1:30 and I heard someone knocking at the back door. I knew right away that something was wrong," said Odessa. She answered the door. Annette and Larry Jr. came in and Odessa asked her what was wrong. She signed that there was a burglar in her house and that her other two children were inside with him. Odessa called 911. Operator Sharon Feathers answered the call. Odessa explained the situation to her saying, "Can you send the police here? It's my neighbor and she's a mute and she says there a man in her house." "Okay we'll send somebody out there," said Feathers. She hung up and passed the information to the dispatcher. "I sort of put myself in that situation and if it was my children I had to flee and leave them in the house with a stranger, the terror I'd be going through and you try to alleviate that as fast as you can," she said. Annette was worried that the intruder would kill one of her children and Odessa agreed with her, knowing what a good mother she was. The telephone rang and Feathers called Odessa back. She asked if Annette was still there and she said yes. She asked Odessa if Annette could give any description of the man who was in the house and she said Larry Jr. said he was black. Feathers asked to talk to him. He explained everything he knew about the intruder. He said he didn't know him. "How old are you?" asked Feathers "Five," said Larry Jr. She asked him who was in the house "My sister and my baby brother," he explained. He said the intruder was in the kitchen. Officers Stone and Ganoway arrived at the house. They explained that there was a broken window on the side where the burglar broke into. They and Lieutenant Houston were preparing to enter and were informed that two children were inside. "Your first instinct is forced to rush right in and try to protect children," said Officer Stone. They went inside the house and found the intruder behind the refrigerator. The officers told him to come out and put his hands up. He obeyed. The officers got him away from the two children. He had rope in his pockets and three butcher knives that he concealed in his boot, but was later found incompetent to stand trial. The officers checked the house, which was clear. They turned on the lights and when some of them came out, they had the two children. They were safe and Annette was happy that they were unharmed. The police said she was very lucky and she signed in agreement. Three months later, the Armor family still has not forgotten the events of that night. Larry signed that he was afraid and ran home to his family. He asked Annette if she was hurt and she signed she wasn't. She was safe because Larry Jr. had called the police and was thankful for that. "I'm very proud of my son for what he did," signed Larry. The police knew that if Larry Jr. wasn't with Annette, no one would've been able to understand what her problem was. He gave the police the information they needed. With the help of several local organizations, the Armor family was able to get their first telephone including a TDD unit designed for deaf people. "The TDD unit is the only window to the world for some of these families who are hearing impaired. They can communicate with it just like you and I can with a telephone if there's a receiver on the other end and in our community we are fortunate in having these terminals on the other end," said one of the organizers. Annette signed that she is so happy about this but Larry Jr. almost got wild that she had to calm him down telling him that he can't be calling their relatives all the time since they don't live near them. "I'm so, so proud of him and he is a really smart boy. He is teaching his brother and sister sign language, too. I love him so much. Not just him but all three of my kids," signed Annette in conclusion. Category:1989 Category:Tennessee Category:Disabled Heroes Category:Crimes